I just realized my titles need to be more interesting so people on FaceBook will click

Since I got my day job I’ve been struggling to figure out when I can write. I don’t want to relegate all of my writing to the weekends because I have plenty to od then (Fantasy Magazine, mostly) and sometimes it would nice to just sit around and do nothing all day. Anyway, I’ve been trying for a while to wake up earlier so that I can leave the house by 8, get to the general area of my office, then write until I have to go in (at 10).

Waking up is the hard part of this equation. I am by no means one of those people who objects to getting up in the morning. But I always struggle to set a new default wake up time for my body. Current target: 6:30AM. I could write a whole essay on the ways my body attempts to trick me into getting more sleep. I have the most whacked out and realistic dreams just before and after my alarms start going off.

I would also like to write in the evenings, but this presents a whole other set of challenges. I need to go to the gym twice during the week (Monday and Thursday). I usually have an Altered Fluid meeting on Tuesdays. Once a month Wednesday is all locked up. And Friday there is sometimes drinking. This vexes me.

I think that I can psych myself up for flexibility when it comes to Wednesdays and Tuesdays — if I don’t have a meeting and if it’s not a KGB week, etc. And on weeks when I have both, then I need to commit to writing an hour before I work out on Monday or Thursday and write on Friday instead of drinking. Honestly, I’ll be with the same people if I do either.

Which brings me to: is anyone up for writing with me in the after work hours? I work near Times Square, and there are actually several places around here that make decent writing spots (mostly hotels, but at least they leave you alone). I’m willing to go a bit downtown or further uptown as well. Inspired by Livia, I’ll commit to 2 hours an evening, and then I will get myself home. I usually get out of work between 6 and 7, so 7 – 9 would work really well for me.

I’ll write whether I have company or not, but it’s always nice to have company.

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4 thoughts on “I just realized my titles need to be more interesting so people on FaceBook will click”

Oh man. I’ve been struggling with this same problem for so long. There’s always something else that needs doing, and I wind up feeling guilty almost every time I sit down to write. I’m no help as regards a writing buddy ’cause I live many miles away from you (unless by “company” you mean “on AIM”), but I wanted to comment ’cause A) I’m keeping good thoughts for your writing time, and B) I’m encouraged by this post to re-double my efforts at making time for it myself.

Since I’m not in NY, I can’t be company, but writing in the evening does work well for me. I usually commit to a certain wordcount rather than time spent, but that’s because I’ve tracked my wordcounts for a while, and have an idea how it works for me.

I’m on the other side of the country and you don’t know me, but boy do I hear you on this. Right now I get up at 5:30 and write for an hour before I have to leave for work. Then I write in the evenings if I have enough juice left.

I tried the weekend thing, but I wound up losing so much momentum during the week that it was hard to get it back for those two days. For me, it works better to write at least a little every day (this is also because I have a short attention span).